263 - Arnold Leissler

Arnold Leissler 1939 Hanover – 2014 Hanover – "Toskana" – (1977) Oil on canvas. 100 x 145 cm. 120 x 165 cm (dimensions including frame). Signed and dated on the back of the frame: Leissler 1977. Next to it, titled and labeled: Title: “TOSCANA” / 100 x 145 cm / oil on canvas. Frame (shadow gap). A major work from Leissler’s Italian creative period. Monumental forms, as if modeled from porcelain, rise above a Tuscan hilly landscape featuring vineyards, cypress trees, a villa, and a fortified tower. With sharply defined contours and lighter tones toward the center, they transform the real landscape into a dreamlike, surreal stage. The finely glazed painting style and the cool, light-filled palette showcase Leissler at the height of his artistry. The unusually large format makes this painting a rare find. Leissler studied at the Werkkunstschule Hannover and the Nuremberg Academy and was a fellow at the Villa Massimo in Rome. He lived in Hannover, with extended stays in Fiesole near Florence. His works are held, among other places, at the Sprengel Museum Hannover.